Poem by William Cowper

A Comparison

The lapse of time and rivers is the same,
Both speed their journey with a restless stream;
The silent pace, with which they steal away,
No wealth can bribe, no prayers persuade to stay;
Alike irrevocable both when past,
And a wide ocean swallows both at last.
Though each resemble each in every part,
A difference strikes at length the musing heart;
Streams never flow in vain; where streams abound,
How laughs the land with various plenty crown’d!
But time, that should enrich the nobler mind,
Neglected, leaves a dreary waste behind. 

1. To The Rev. Mr. Newton
2. The Dog and the Water Lily
3. Abuse of the Gospel
4. Welcome to the Table
5. Heroism

Paul Hayne A Comparison ("I THINK, ofttimes, that lives of men may be")

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